James Cleveland was born in 1931 in Chicago. Brought up in a poor family, he sang as a boy in the choir of the Pilgrim Baptist Church under the leadership of Thomas Andrew DORSEY, the father of gospel music. He learned to play the piano and accompanied the renowned Roberta Martin Singers. In 1950, he joined the Gospelaires as their pianist and third singer, and from there graduated to other groups. He was a member of the Mahalia Jackson Singers, the Caravans of Chicago (which had a hit with “The Solid Rock”), the Gospel All-Stars, and many other fine gospel groups. Always ready to learn, he took something from each of them and gradually developed his own distinctive style.
While it was Thomas Dorsey who first created the gospel choir, it was under the direction of James Cleveland, often tagged the “Crown Prince of Gospel Music,” that the choir really came into its own. His enthusiasm in organising mass gospel choirs drew hundreds of young people into the movement.
In I960, Cleveland brought together the Voices of Tabernacle, a 100-voice choir, and with it recorded his first instant hit, “The Love of God.” Subsequent recording hits with the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church in Nutley, New Jersey, cemented James as the master writer, arranger, and innovator of the large group gospel choir. Mediating between the musical styles of the ecstatic Sanctified churches and the more restrained Baptist churches, James revolutionised the gospel sound using jazzy piano and soulful organ riffs with a strong, heavily accented choral part.
Cleveland’s charisma and the appeal of massed choirs of hundreds of youthful voices led to recording contracts. His third album with the Angelic Voices, Peace Be Still, made gospel history. It sold over 800,000 copies and marked Cleveland as the most important gospel figure since Mahalia Jackson.
Throughout his career, Cleveland generously gave new talents a start in the industry. In 1968, he organised the Gospel Music Workshop of America, which was designed as a vehicle to inspire, train, and support gospel musicians. It remains the primary institutional setting in which to introduce new material and propagate gospel music.
It was Cleveland who brought Aretha FRANKLIN back into the national gospel community when he persuaded her to record Amazing Grace live in Los Angeles with him and the Southern California Community Choir. In 1973, he and Aretha received a Grammy for the album, which at that time sold over 2 million copies.
Cleveland’s influence extended well beyond the church community. In 1977, in collaboration with Quincy JONES, he arranged the vocal renditions for the blockbuster television series Roots, for which he was nominated for a Grammy. He also arranged, trained, and directed choirs for several albums, as well as making guest appearances with Elton John and Ray CHARLES. Groups that he trained were heard in several movies including Blues Brothers, Pipe Dreams, and The Idolmakers. In August 1983, with twins Andrae and Sandra Crouch, and the “Queen of Gospel” Shirley Caesar, Reverend Cleveland took gospel to “Sultan’s Pool” in Jerusalem.
A composer of over 300 gospel songs, producer of five gold albums, and the recipient of more than 45 honours, including several Grammy nominations, Cleveland was the first gospel music artist to have a star placed in his honour on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Musician, pastor, and mentor, James Cleveland holds a special place in the history of gospel music.
Donna Cox
FURTHER READING
Boyer, Horace Clarence. How Sweet the Sounds: The Golden Age of Gospel (New York: Elliott Clark, 1995);
Heilbut, Antony. The Gospel Sounds: Good News and Bad Times (New York: Limelight, 1997).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
James Cleveland Sings with the World’s Greatest Choirs-, James Cleveland with the Charles Fold Singers: Touch Me.